Hakim Ziyech’s move to Al-Nassr collapsed because of a knee issue raised in the medical

Hakim Ziyech’s move to Al-Nassr collapsed because of a knee issue raised in the medical. 

Deal is now OFF. Hakim Ziyech’s £8m move from Chelsea to Al-Nassr has collapsed after a knee problem was flagged up during the winger’s medical.

N’Golo Kanté, Kalidou Koulibaly and Édouard Mendy have already left Chelsea for clubs in the Saudi Pro League and Ziyech was also due to head to the Middle East. The Morocco international was set to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after being deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and was expected to sign a three-year deal.

That left the French champions furious, with Chelsea bosses coming under fire for the way they handled negotiations. 

Ziyech, who was signed for £33m from Ajax in 2020, played 24 times last season but the majority of his appearances came off the bench.

The 30-year-old still has two years left on his contract, in what has been a dismal spell with the Blues.

Chelsea will now sound out alternative clubs in the hope of finding a landing spot for the winger. 

Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku are among the players recently signed to replace the Moroccan.

Meanwhile, Al-Nassr agreed a deal with Inter Milan for midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who opted to join last season’s Pro League runners-up over Barcelona. Chelsea are in the process of clearing out their squad and are on course to raise close to £200m in sales, with Mason Mount set to complete a £60m move to Manchester United. Ziyech has been keen to leave since last summer and was left frustrated after technical glitches saw a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain fall apart on the final day of the January transfer window.

The 30-year-old joined Chelsea from Ajax for £33m in 2020 and his form has been inconsistent. Injuries have held Ziyech back and he has struggled to nail down a regular starting place. He is unlikely to have a starting role under Chelsea’s new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino.